Port-Killer — Cross-Platform Port Management Tool for Developers

Introduction

Port-Killer solves the common developer frustration of finding and stopping processes that occupy specific network ports. It provides a menu-bar app on macOS and a system-tray app on Windows, giving instant visibility into port usage with one-click process termination.

What Port-Killer Does

• Lists all active ports with their associated processes in real time
• Kills processes occupying specific ports with a single click
• Manages and monitors Kubernetes port-forward sessions
• Integrates Cloudflare Tunnel management for exposed services
• Provides both a GUI menu-bar interface and CLI access

Architecture Overview

Port-Killer is built with Swift and SwiftUI on macOS, leveraging native system APIs for process enumeration and signal handling. It queries the operating system's network stack to map ports to process IDs, then provides a clean interface for managing those bindings. Kubernetes integration communicates with the local kubeconfig to list and control port-forward sessions.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Download pre-built binaries from the GitHub releases page
• macOS users can install via Homebrew Cask for automatic updates
• No configuration files needed; the app detects ports automatically
• Kubernetes features require a valid kubeconfig in the default location
• Cloudflare Tunnel integration uses the local cloudflared configuration

Key Features

• Native menu-bar and system-tray integration for instant access
• Real-time port monitoring with automatic refresh
• Kubernetes port-forward lifecycle management
• Built with native technologies for minimal resource usage
• Cross-platform support for macOS and Windows

Comparison with Similar Tools

• lsof / netstat — CLI-only with no GUI; Port-Killer adds a visual interface and one-click actions
• kill-port (npm) — Node.js CLI tool limited to killing by port; Port-Killer provides monitoring and K8s integration
• fkill-cli — interactive process killer but lacks port-specific views; Port-Killer focuses on port-to-process mapping
• Activity Monitor / Task Manager — general-purpose OS tools without port-centric filtering; Port-Killer is purpose-built

FAQ

Q: Does Port-Killer require root or admin privileges? A: On macOS, some processes may require elevated permissions to terminate. The app will prompt for authorization when needed.

Q: Can I use Port-Killer from the command line? A: Yes, it includes a CLI interface alongside the GUI for scripting and automation.

Q: Is Linux supported? A: Currently macOS and Windows are supported. Linux support is tracked in the project roadmap.

Q: Does it work with Docker port mappings? A: Yes, Docker-mapped ports appear as regular system ports and can be managed through Port-Killer.

Sources

• https://github.com/productdevbook/port-killer